


You don't Love me, but I can change this

by mary_kayle



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Episode: s01 Dislocœur | Dark Cupid, F/M, Fluffy Ending, I successfully failed slow burn, Identity Reveal, Slow Burn, probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-06-07 11:24:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6801781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mary_kayle/pseuds/mary_kayle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>True love's kiss, or at least they say so. Marinette discovers Chat Noir's identity after Dark Cupid's attack and now she is determined to win over Adrien. But... You know, never anything goes as you wish. My first attempt to slow burn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Marinette knows

**Author's Note:**

> I owe nothing.

Ladybug had no choice. Chat Noir was hit with Dark Cupid's hate arrow, and he currently was under the akuma's influence. She needed him back. A kiss was pretty simple solution. Only love can conquer hate, at least it was what all fairy tales told people. So Ladybug didn't think twice before deciding for this take.

Apparently, it worked. She wasn't surprised it did, she was used to most of her ideas coming out as the right ones. And she didn't question it twice until she was alone in her room, untransformed and having a talk with her kwami.

"Marinette," Tikki giggled, "I can't believe you again forgot to sign your letter for Adrien. Don't worry, he might not know it's from you, but at least it would lighten his mood, I hope!"

"Oh, Tikki," sighed the girl. "Where's my Ladybug's luck when I need it? Will I ever succeed at last?"

"One day you will," said the kwami reassuringly. "Maybe," she added.

Marinette shot her a 'not helping' look. Her thoughts drifted back to the today's akuma. Kim was tough to fight with. And to think he forced her to kiss Chat! Well, it wasn't that bad, but Marinette couldn't get rid of the guilty feeling in her chest.

"Marinette, what's up?" Tikki noticed something was off with her chosen.

"Nothing much, I was just thinking of the earlier fight..."

"Speaking of which," the kwami interrupted, "why would you think the kiss would work? It's supposed to be a true love thing, you know?"

The girl's eyes widened. "But we don't love each other!"

"Sure. That's why it worked." Tikki replied sarcastically. 

"I'm sure I feel nothing this way towards Chat!" Marinette protested. "I only have my eyes for Adrien! Besides, it's not like Chat is serious with all his flirtatious behavior..." She paused. "Is he?.."

"Oh, Marinette," sighed her kwami, "did you seriously think he was joking? I'm pretty sure that when he spotted you today hanging from the roof like Spiderman, he was about to tell you his feelings. But Dark Cupid never let him finish, and after you both defeated him, he had no time before transforming back."

The girl went silent, trying to process all the information. So Chat did like her. No, loved her. After all, it was a true love's kiss. Either way it wouldn't work.

Wait.

SHE didn't love him. Well, maybe it was a little more than friendship and partnership, but not THAT more. Marinette was sure she loved Adrien, then why on earth did it work for Chat..?

Oh. 

Oh no.

Nononono.

There was no way. It simply couldn't be that her wild, emotional Chat was the same guy as quiet, polite Adrien. Except he was. Either way she didn't have another explanation for why the kiss worked.

"Tikki," she called for her kwami in low whisper. "I think I know why it came out like that. It wouldn't work for Chat Noir - I don't love him. But it would work for another boy who I DO love. And since it HAD the result, I guess Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste... are... the same..."

Tikki smiled a little. "Well, at least it solves the problem with the unrequited feelings!"

The girl gazed at her somehow frightened. "How? I love Adrien, but my feelings are not so strong towards Chat. And Adrien loves Ladybug, but he doesn't feel this way for me as Marinette."

"Are you sure?"

Marinette thought a little. "Well, I don't love Chat. But now that he and Adrien are the same person... I guess it doesn't matter? Or does it?"

"Say, if Chat wasn't Adrien, would you be able to love him?" The 5000-year-old kwami knew the right questions to ask.

Her chosen sank deep in thought. After several minutes she held up her gaze, determination in her eyes.

"If they were two separate people, he would be my second choice after Adrien. I now realize I always fought my feelings for him back, reasoning myself that I'm already in love with Adrien. I don't love Chat - not yet, but it won't take much time to fall for him since I'm already falling." The girl held a pause. "Now all that remains is to make Adrien fall for Marinette, and if by miracle I succeed, I would die from happiness. But now it seems not very hard, since I have an obvious advantage: a knowledge. I only hope I won't mess everything up."

Tikki smiled warmly at the girl. She knew Marinette could make it happen. It wasn't hard to fall for this girl, anyway.

 

\----------

 

Marinette dreaded the next day at school. Though she felt very confident the previous evening and now had more courage, it still remained pretty scary in her mind to actually start interacting more with her crush. 

Getting dressed, she decided to put on a simple black skirt and a red sweatshirt for today. After all, they were Ladybug's colours. Hopefully it would catch Adrien's attention. On her way to school Marinette tried her best to calm down and convince herself that everything will eventually work out right.

"Hey girl!" Alya waved at her best friend.

"Hey, Alya!" cheered Marinette. 

"Wow, you look amazing! Adrien is totally going to fall for you!" Alya squealed in delight. Marinette blushed at the comment.

The girls walked in class together. Adrien and Nino were already there.

"Hi, Nino, hi, Adrien!" greeted the boys Alya. 

"Hey girls!" replied Nino. Marinette smiled and waved at them.

"Hi," smiled Adrien. "Wow, you look amazing today, Marinette. I like your colour choice," he told the girl shyly. 

She blushed at his words, but found the confidence to answer. "Thanks for the compliment!" No stuttering! Success!

Alya was looking at her as if she saw the ghost. "Girl, what happened?" she whispered. "He COMPLIMENTED you, and you were able to response without tripping over your words! And you don't seem to be melting down right in this place, although Marinette who I know would remain frozen with mouth agape until I'll snap you back to reality! Are you telling me you're over him?"

"No!" Marinette replied also in whisper. "I just finally got the courage to treat him normally. And I'm so not going to give up on him. On the contrary, actually. I'm determined to win over him. Hopefully I'll manage..."

"Yeah! Way to go, that's my girl!" cheered Alya. "Operation 'Adrienette' on the run!"

"Alya! Don't tell me you've just created a ship name for me and Adrien!"

"Of course not. I've had it for ages!"

 

\----------

 

The four of them went to have lunch together during the break. Marinette had no doubt Alya already told Nino about the whole 'Adrienette' thing. So when they came to the cafe and soon after that those two excused themselves for urgent things to be done, Marinette was more than sure it was only the reason to leave her alone with Adrien. Not that she minded.

"So," Adrien began, searching for the topic to speak of. "How was your math test today?"

"Not very good, I probably failed. Maths is not my subject, I guess. How did you manage?" she asked with a hint of smile. Wow, she was actually holding a REAL conversation with Adrien Agreste. Marinette certainly didn't expect herself to go along so well. 

"Seemed pretty hard to me, but hopefully it'll turn out alright. My father is not very pleased when I get low grades, he expects me to do my best. And that goes not only for studying," he said in a sad voice, looking down.

Marinette felt angry for his father, who constantly brought her kitty down. She knew that Gabriel wasn't washing his son with lots of affection, and since Adrien's mother disappeared, he was basically left without any parents' love. So the girl decided for the first instinct that came to her. She hugged the boy tightly.

"Hey, I know it's pretty tough, to receive no attention from your father, but you have me, Nino and Alya to support you anytime. Remember we all love you. We are always here if you need us."

She felt the boy smile and relax in her arms. Eventually he pulled back.

"Thank you, Marinette. I really needed to hear this. Do you really mean it?"

"Of course," smiled the girl reassuringly. "Every time you feel down, remember having us to cheer you up, okay? We can't stand seeing you like that." Marinette gave Adrien her best most sincere smile.

Adrien smiled in response and enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug, holding her tightly and very close to his own body, as if trying to express his emotions without words. He breathed in Marinette's familiar scent of bakery, felt her hair brushing his cheek and closed his eyes in pleasure. Adrien felt safe with her this close. 

Marinette herself couldn't believe she caused such a strong reaction by simple words of comfort. Adrien was hugging her like his life was depending on this, and although she hugged him back with almost the same force, she still felt the urge need to comfort him more. But she knew she couldn't without revealing her identity or embarrassing herself. 

They finally broke apart. Adrien was grinning like a cat that got a canary. Marinette was proud she was able to make him feel better. The two spent the rest of lunch chatting and laughing. When they finally got back to school, Marinette couldn't help but wonder how quickly she got so familiar with Adrien. God, this kitty needed more love at any costs. And she was going to give it to him. This time though she was going to do it as Ladybug.


	2. She has a crush on me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made Marinette more secure and more as a teaser than it's canon or fanon, sorry for this

It was evening now, and Adrien was lying in his bed with a dreamy look on his face as he recalled the events of the day.

"Plagg," he called for his kwami, "why do you think Marinette started acting a different way towards me? She was always so shy, and now I feel like she knows exactly what is she doing. This sudden change in her attitude... It makes me wonder what happened to cause it..."

"And what do you think?" smirked Plagg, internally sighing over the kid's obliviousness.

"I dunno... Maybe she wants us to be closer friends... But that doesn't answer why this suddenly..." Cheese, Plagg thought, why is he so dense?

"You know, she has this huge crush on you, that's why she stutters so much and could barely hold a conversation with you. Give this kid brains, because he would never figure it out himself," muttered the kwami under his breath. However, Adrien heard him pretty clearly to doubt if he heard it correctly.

"Marinette has a crush on me? Oh, Plagg, what do I do now? I can't return her feelings, as I already love Ladybug. I don't want to hurt her! Maybe if I manage to explain her in a light way, everything will turn out alright?"

"Do whatever you consider right, but if I were you, I wouldn't do such a thing." Plagg knew he couldn't just tell his chosen everything he knew.

"And why's that?"

"Let's just say I'm more than 300 times older than you. I may have my own knowledge."

"Then what would you offer?" Adrien didn't see another easy way out of the situation.

"It's truly your choice, kid. I'm not telling you anything more. In fact, I'm going to eat my precious Camembert and sleep peacefully, so goodnight." And with that Plagg left Adrien alone with his thoughts.

The boy thought about his kwami's words for a little. It seemed there was no better escape than telling the truth. So, finally deciding for it, he drifted to sleep.

 

\----------

 

The next morning was pretty hard for Adrien, to see Marinette's sincere joyful smile and know he had to break her heart. She was beautiful. And kind. And caring. God, he wouldn't find the strength to fight her if she gets akumatized. His dear princess... Adrien's heart was beating wildly as he gathered the courage to ask her for the private conversation.

Marinette saw something was off with Adrien. He stole worried glances on her, full of pain and apologie. Somehow it seemed the boy finally figured her crush on him, and being kind as he was he feared breaking her heart. Marinette could only wonder how easy for her it became to read his emotions. As through an open book.

The girl smirked to herself. Of course she wouldn't expect him to fall for her in one day. Also, she thought, it would be funny to watch him stuttering and stammering as she did two days ago. Poor boy, he must be going through a lot of doubt, worrying about her well-being.

The bell for the break rang, and Adrien quickly turned to Marinette until he lost all his courage.

"M-Marinette... Can I talk to you? I-in private..."

"Sure," she smiled her most hearted smile and left the classroom, waiting for him to follow. The girl stopped only when she made sure no one except them was around. 

"So, what do you want to talk about?" 

"Marinette," Adrien started, "you see, I kinda figured you have a crush on me?.." He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to admit or deny it. She smiled a bit. God, why did she smile so much when he was about to shatter her hopes?

"Yes, I do. In fact..." she bit her lip to stop herself. "Never mind, continue please."

"Marinette..." What was it with her name to use it in the start of every his statement? "I'm sorry..."

"You don't feel this way," she finished for him, with a smile still remaining on her lips. "It's okay, I don't expect you to return my feelings." She badly wanted to add 'not yet'. "I know you like someone, Ladybug to be exactly, and I know she's more than 'a stupid crush' for you, as Nino keeps you telling. So, it's perfectly okay. I'm not gonna become akumatized or something, don't worry." 

Marinette smiled even wider after finishing her speech and slightly touched his cheek with her fingers before leaving him still in place alone, completely frozen at the turn of events.

Plagg flew out of his pocket, staring in the direction Marinette has gone. So Ladybug knew his chosen was Adrien. How did she figure it out? And obviously she was playing her little cat and mouse, or cat and bug game right now. Serves the kid until he loses his mind, he thought, because she definitely was planning on more. This was going to become more and more interesting, thought the cat, as he started mindlessly float near his chosen.

"Plagg," Adrien's lost voice sounded in the empty hallway, "this girl is definitely something. Judging by her reaction, she doesn't feel this way towards me, but she admitted the opposite less than five minutes ago. And how does she know I love Ladybug? Plagg? Plagg!"

His kwami was now flying in circles around his head, mumbling something about oblivious boys and ladybugs. Adrien waited for a moment, then caught the tiny cat with a quick movement. Unfortunately, by tail. Plagg hissed and bit Adrien's finger.

"Ow... That hurts!" The boy looked angrily at the kwami. "What I am, a cheese for you? Care to disappoint, but I am actually meat. Sort of. That's pretty different, you know?"

"Whatever you say. So, what now? You've rejected your princess..."

"I didn't! She said all by herself! And she knew exactly what she was saying was truth!" Adrien suddenly stopped dead in tracks. "...She knew exactly... Twice in two days... Plagg, her knowledge starts to scare me. A lot! Where did she get it from? What if she knows I am Chat Noir? That would be a disaster! I don't even know what should I do if that's the case!"

"Chill out, everything will turn out fine. I'm tired of your density. Will you ever notice the obvious?"

"No? Because I dunno what are you talking about?"

"Fine, kid, listen: the valentine you got two days ago."

"What about that? I suppose it was Ladybug's answer to my poem?"

"Ugh, and how on earth did she receive that? And how did she know Chat's post address? No, this one was from Marinette. Now, I want my cheese and I'm not saying you anything more!" 

"Plagg!" exclaimed Adrien. "You can't just finish the important conversation in the middle!"

"Yes, I can. I'm over 5000 years old." With that, the kwami returned to his cheese, ignoring the boy's protests.

 

\----------

 

Meanwhile, Marinette locked herself in the bathroom and was having her conversation with Tikki.

"It seems like you totally caught him off guard," giggled Ladybug's kwami.

"Was it the right thing to do? What if he was going to say something different?" Marinette worried anyway.

"Trust me, he wasn't. He was just afraid for your reaction. Which you proved him to be nothing to worry about."

"Thanks, Tikki. Now let's head back to class."

The rest of the day she noticed Adrien to throw worried glances on her. Each time she caught his gaze, he immediately turned away, breaking the eye contact. Marinette wanted to prove she was alright, but how could she explain her behavior if she claimed to like him and despite this didn't seem heartbroken now as she knew he didn't return her feelings? God, this was such a mess. 

Of course, Alya was dying to know what happened. Marinette just shrugged and recommended her friend to ask Adrien and then tell her his point of view. Alya shot her a disapproving look, but seemed to be okay with this way of finding out. 

When the classes were finally over, Marinette hurried back to the bakery while Alya cornered Adrien, demanding to know what happened.

"Adrien, what did you do to her? She won't tell me anything, instead advised me to ask you. Besides, YOU seems the one to be disappointed." The ombré-haired girl tried to speak in a mild tone, but could do nothing with her burning curiosity.

Adrien went pale, then red, then pale again. Dealing with Alya was definitely NOT so easy.

"Umm... You see, I kinda figured out Marinette has a crush on me?.." He was still unsure, Marinette's odd behavior basically told him the opposite.

"And?.." Alya demanded on the continuation.

"That's true, isn't it? 'Cause she doesn't seem to, according to her reactions..."

"Oh, since you know... She has this oversized crush on you, that's for sure. Yesterday I noticed a change in her attitude towards you, but when I asked, she said she was finally determined to win over you, that's it... I'm not crossing any line, am I? Why do you doubt? What happened?"

Adrien sighed. "You see, I started the conversation with the same words as now with you... And she admitted having a crush on me. But... I'm really sorry, I didn't want to raise up her hopes, so I planned to tell her. I was very unsure of myself, I feared Marinette would turn in that nasty akuma Ladybug and Chat Noir fight... Anyway, I only managed to start with 'I'm sorry'. She never let me finish, and told me it was totally okay and she understood my crush and didn't expect me to return her feelings and..." Adrien was rambling. He took in a deep breathe. "And she was smiling sincerely and didn't look hurt at all. I don't know what to think now..."

Alya was silently listening. Millions of questions were floating in her mind. "You intended to reject her." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes. It doe..."

"And you worried how she would react."

"Yes. If she..."

"And she interrupted you."

"Yes, she said everyth..."

"And she wasn't heartbroken."

"At least didn't seem to..."

"And she was right, wasn't she?"

Adrien considered his answer for a bit. "Exactly. And that's what scares me. She knew about my crush on Ladybug." Alya gasped. Adrien had a crush on Ladybug? "Well," continued Adrien, "she must have overheard one of my conversations with Nino. What surprised me most... She said she knew that for me it was more than a crush. Even Nino thinks it's stupid and unreachable."

Alya stared at him wide-eyed. "You have a crush on Ladybug?"

The boy sighed. "Marinette was right, you know, Alya. Ladybug... I love her. Yeah, it seems pretty dumb, but it doesn't change my feelings anyway." 

Alya said nothing, only put her hand on her face and chuckled, waving her head in anticipation. What a crazy world it is with superheroes and such mixed up, messy feelings...


	3. Plagg, The Helpful Kwami

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Ladrien for you!

Marinette was done with her homework and now worked on her dress design. She decided it to be Chat-themed long time ago, and now she was stitching the last ribbons and laces to the top. 

"Marinette, it's half past nine already," reminded her Tikki. "You wanted to go visit Adrien tonight as Ladybug if I recall correctly. If you're still up to this, we'd better head out now in order not to be very late."

"Right, Tikki. I'm still not sure if it's a good idea though, but who said I can't have some reward for his rejection?.. To the hell with doubts!" the girl yelled. "Tikki, spots on!"

Now transformed Ladybug was heading to the Agreste mansion. She had her own doubts still. If she was so determined to win over him as Marinette and to fall for him as Chat, then why was she going the easiest way, following her moment desires? Ladybug stopped as she reached her destination.

She spotted where his room was. Not very hard to guess as it was the only one lightly dimmed and countered his silhouette sitting back to the windows, facing the computer screen. No, three computer screens in a row. With Alya's Ladyblog open.

Ladybug took in a deep breath and jumped closer to Adrien's windows. She held up her thumb, pausing to decide whether to knock or not. She wasn't even sure whether these windows could be unlocked or not. 

It was when the masked heroine noticed Chat's kwami, floating near his chosen. They seemed to have some sort of a lazy talk, judging by the movements. Chat's kwami flew to the other side of the screen, or at least tried to. He stopped mid-air, finally spotting Ladybug. 

The tiny cat smirked widely and winked at her. Ladybug raised her eyebrow for a second, but then threw a smile and a wink in response, motioning to open the window. The kwami nodded, waving his head in Adrien's direction and suddenly disappeared behind the boy. Two seconds later Adrien turned around in his seat with a speed of a lightning, almost falling off to the floor. He hurried to the window and opened it.

"L-Ladybug? What are you doing here? Is there any danger? An akuma maybe?" He looked around with a worried expression.

"No, it's fine, Adrien. Actually, I..."

"How do you know my name?" he blurted out before realizing that he interrupted her. The boy turned pink. "Sorry, I-I didn't mean to interrupt you..."

She snorted. "You are literally the most known teenage model in whole Paris. You know, I'm a normal girl behind this mask and of course I'd be interested. Not that I'm using the mask as an excuse to see you! Um, well..."

Adrien was now looking at her with wide eyes. "So you're telling me that THE Ladybug is interested in some plain old model like me?"

The heroine shrugged. "Don't make it sound like that. We both know you never first think of yourself as of a model. You're kind, sincere, caring, lonely and you need more actual love than you'd like to show..." Ladybug slammed a hand over her mouth, realizing what slipped out. She basically told him they knew each other in civilian life!

The boy's jaw dropped down. Ladybug couldn't help but giggle at his reaction. She reached for his chin with her fingers and gently closed his mouth.

"Careful, handsome boy, pull yourself together before you melt down to the floor. You don't want me to think you're a weirdo, do you?" Now she was teasing him. It was kinda fun to see him acting like this around her, when usually the roles were reversed.

Adrien swallowed hard. "H-handsome boy?"

"Or do you prefer 'hot stuff'?" She said with a wink. A wink! Poor boy... "Personally I think it will better suit you since you're the one to be pinned after by half of girls in Paris. No offense, the other half belongs to Chat. Though I definitely purr-fur you..." The double pun was a slip of a tongue, really, but it was exactly what brought Adrien back from his starstruck trance. 

Not letting the girl to finish her speech, he reached forward and pulled her in a kiss before he could give himself the second thought or loose his sudden courage. He honestly didn't know what made him act like that. It was Ladybug after all, for crying out loud! However, she responded to the kiss almost immediately, accepting it and kissing him back. Adrien wanted nothing more than to reduce the left space between them. He pressed in closer to her, and felt that she was mirroring his actions. They were pressed to each other until there was no space between them. They broke apart only when both needed an air gasp, breathing heavily.

Adrien looked at Ladybug, incredibly worried. He has just kissed his lady, the love of his life! But he was Adrien, not Chat. What if he misinterpreted her and she didn't want this? What if he had ruined all the chances he had? But his lady was only smiling.

"Wow, that was something," she said, still out of breath. "Definitely better than our first kiss..."

Adrien could have been on high alert, ignoring the outside world, but there was no chance he misheard her.

"WHAT? I mean, IT was our first kiss..." He looked at her very confused.

"No," she smirked. "You would never remember, you were under the akuma's influence. To bring you back, I used the true love's kiss. Then I didn't think much about this, but later... Oh, look, it's pretty late now. See you around, hot stuff!" She stopped herself from slipping out more.

And like that, she was gone in a moment.

Adrien collapsed to his bed hardly, not trusting his legs. A very self-satisfied Plagg floated next to him. 

"Earth to lover-boy! Snap out of your trance and give me cheeeeesee, I'm dyiiiing." No response.

"Hey boy, digest it quicker and feed meeee." Still silence on the other end.

"Yes, Adrien, it was Ladybug. Yes, you kissed. Yes, she wanted it. Yes, she likes you. End of the story. Camembeeeert!" The kwami was irritated by his chosen's blank stare. Finally Adrien finally slow focused his attention on Plagg.

"Ladybug..."

"Cheese."

"Ladybug... We kissed, Plagg!"

"Yeah, so what?"

"I finally got a chance to get a kiss from her! Like the first kiss ever!"

"Ugh, didn't you hear her? It wasn't your first kiss, so calm down and feed me, I'm starving." The kwami was already bored at this going to nowhere conversation.

"Wait, hold on for a second. I don't remember us kissing at all! I certainly wouldn't forget such a thing!"

"Cheese first!"

"Fine! But you owe me so much explanation!" exclaimed the boy, heading to the kitchen. He took a usual piece of Camembert, but than changed his mind and reached for another one. If he wanted Plagg to talk, he'd better be good fed.

The boy patiently waited while his kwami was finishing his cheese. Just as the last piece disappeared in cat's mouth, Adrien took in a deep breath, prepared to ask the question.

But he never got the chance. There was a loud crash from the outside, followed by screams and yelling.

"What an unlucky moment for the akuma attack..." muttered the boy under his breath.

"Well, you're like the embodiment of bad luck, what do you expect?" smirked Plagg.

"I'm not, you are! Plagg, claws out!" In a few moments, Chat Noir took Adrien's place. He sprang out of the still open after Ladybug's visit window and headed towards the sounds.

Ladybug was already on the scene. God, it was hard to face her after their encounter. Except she didn't know it was him. Well, at least it was what he thought. Though Ladybug managed to get ahold of herself and with Tikki's reminder remembered he was only Chat. Nothing too much to worry about.

"Hey, Chat!" she greeted him cheerfully. Act as you do in normal, both thought to themselves.

"It's a purr-leasure to meet you, my lady," Chat gave Ladybug his best grin, trying to hide his overwhelming emotions. "Who are we dealing with today?"

"An akuma calls itself Fireman. I've been here just a minute longer than you, so we still have to figure what the possessed object is."

Fireman chose this exact moment to throw a fireball into the duo. They rushed out of its way, and it hit the bus stop behind. Luckily everyone has already left the area. The akuma's face lit up with a purple butterfly frame.

"Yes, Hawkmoth," answered Fireman. "Ladybug, Chat Noir, give me your miraculous, or I'll set everything on fire!"

"Never!" exclaimed the duo. Fireman smiled evilly and threw another fireball into the nearest building. People started running out, screaming loudly.

Ladybug attacked Fireman with her yoyo, aiming for different pieces of his outfit. Chat tried to prevent the akuma from throwing any more fireballs. Soon enough Ladybug figured it was the helmet he was most worried for. 

"Chat, the akuma must be in his helmet! Distract him!"

"Anything for you, my lady," he replied with a sheepish grin.

"Lucky charm!" yelled Ladybug. "A fire extinguisher? Let's see..." She scanned the surroundings, thinking of a plan. "Chat Noir, use your cataclysm on the billboard over there!"

He did as she asked. The billboard started falling right on the akumatized victim. Fireman saw this and threw the fireball in the centre of advertisement. It splashed with electrical sparkles and burst out in fire, falling to the ground with the hole in the middle, where Fireman was trapped. Ladybug used the fire extinguisher to set down the fire, and while everything was still in smoke, Chat came closer, took off the helmet and threw it to Ladybug. She broke it in two halves and opened her yoyo to cleanse the akuma. Spinning it in circles, she caught the butterfly. 

"Gotcha!" Opening her yoyo, Ladybug waved to the white butterfly. "Bye bye, petit papillon." She threw the extinguisher in the air, yelling "Miraculous Ladybug!" and watched everything to come back to normal.

"Pound it!" The duo bumped their fists together just as Chat Noir's ring started beeping.

"Sorry, Bugaboo, it seems like I'm out of time. See you on paw-trol!" He shot Ladybug a wink and a smile and went off.

She came up to the man, who was under Hawkmoth's influence just several minutes ago.

"I was turned into that nasty akuma, wasn't I? Did I hurt anyone?"

"No, you didn't," the spotted heroine replied with a smile. "What upset you so much?"

"I was fired from my work, quite unreasonable I guess..."

"Maybe it's a chance to find a new one or try something different?" supposed Ladybug. "You never know whether it was for the best or for the worst until time passes." She smiled at the man reassuringly.

"Thank you a lot, Ladybug. I'll consider you words."

Her earrings started beeping, and she apologized herself, going off to find a safe place to transform back.

 

\----------

 

Adrien was now in his room, patiently waiting for Plagg to finish his cheese. They still had an unfinished conversation.

"So," the boy started right as the last piece of Camembert disappeared in kwami's mouth, "what about that kiss?"

Plagg smirked. "Kid, it was that Dark Cupid akuma. The only way to break his hate spell was a true love's kiss. So Ladybug went for it and it worked. Remember?"

"N-no? I didn't recall meeting the akuma as Adrien. Moreover, how would she know I am in love with her?.. WAIT. True love's kiss? Does that mean that Ladybug LOVES me?!" The boy was freaking out again. Like, for what time in several days?

"Ugh... Not exactly this way. It was a lucky guess that the kiss would work. And no, you never met that akuma as your civilian self."

"So you mean... Ladybug kissed Chat Noir who fell under the hate spell just to test her theory?"

Plagg was about to respond, when Adrien suddenly let out a yelp of shock and jumped several feet high in the air.

"Plagg," he said, staring at his kwami in horror, "are you trying to tell me Ladybug knows I am Chat Noir?"

The tiny cat looked triumphantly at his chosen. "Give this kid cheese, he once again guessed right!"

Adrien collapsed to the floor, not trusting his legs. After several minutes of silence he finally found the strength to form his thought into a full question.

"Just who in the world is she for that point?" He asked mostly himself.

Behind him, Plagg rolled his eyes. Why did he choose such an oblivious person?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be updating really slowly (maybe once a week?) since my exams are about to get started. Sorry guys((


	4. Finding out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I miserably failed this story.

Marinette was pacing around in her room in complete panic, while Tikki tried to calm her down.

"Oh my god, oh my god, I can't believe I went to Adrien saying all these embarrassing things and ohhh... Tikki we kissed! I was supposed to win him over as Marinette, not kiss him as Ladybug! Why can't I think straight for once in my life? And to think that I basically told him that we know each other behind the masks! I don't want Adrien to find out too soon, but it seems like that's exactly what I'm trying to make happen!"

"Marinette, calm down!" The kwami tried to stop her chosen from circling around the room. "What happened has happened, there's nothing to do about it now. And who said it affects your chances as Marinette? He started to notice you once you stopped stuttering, so there's still a high chance of success!"

"He is now probably determined to win over Ladybug and won't look at plain old me! I've messed everything up, oh, and how am I supposed to meet Chat?.. Wait, Tikki, that's it! I'll talk to him as Chat and I'll try to reassure him it was nothing!"

"I don't think it's a good idea..." said Tikki cautiously.

"How is it possible to mess up even more? I'll go for it. Anyway, it's patrol time already. Tikki, spots on!"

 

\----------

 

Adrien tried to pull himself together. He had patrol with Ladybug in five minutes and had to behave as if nothing has happened. Not an easy task at all. 

"Plagg, claws out!" Okay, he could do that. Just push all distracting thoughts in the back of the mind.

Chat Noir went to their usual meeting point. His heart was beating erratically. No matter how hard he tried to calm himself down, his own mind and body betrayed him. He just hoped Ladybug wouldn't notice.

"Hi, chaton!" said a voice behind him. Chat turned around, plastering a natural (kind of) grin on his face.

"Good evening yourself, my lady. You're stunning as usual." He smiled wider.

She giggled. "It seems if I was a walking zombie, you still wouldn't stop complimenting me."

"Well, you're always pretty, what can I say. You're in a good mood today, bugaboo." He tried sounding nonchalantly. She just shrugged.

"Got to visit a pretty boy today. Don't worry, kitty, it's nothing serious anyway."

Chat frowned. It was not what he was hoping for. "Are you sure it is no big deal?"

"Yep. No reason to be jealous, Chat, I promise."

How could she? "My lady... If you feel like kissing other boys is nothing to you, then why do you never give me a chance?" He asked, deeply hurt by either her not really being into Adrien or the fact that she showed no actual interest in Chat despite being so flirty with others. Just how often did she do that?

Ladybug suddenly felt guilty for leading him on like that. She was hurting him, and that was the opposite of her intentions.

"Hey..." she whispered softly. "Chat, look, I'm sorry I made you feel like that. It was only once, and it wouldn't be repeated again, I promise. I never meant to lead on the boy either, it's just-- You won't understand, and I can't explain without referring to my civilian self..." The heroine sighed. "It's complicated."

Chat, however, caught one particular line. 'Referring to my civilian self', that was what she said.

"My lady, does that boy know you outside the mask?"

Ladybug opened her mouth to respond, but closed it a second later. What a mess she had gotten herself into!

"Yes," she finally breathed out. "But he doesn't seem to notice the real me. As everyone, he only loves Ladybug, the embodiment of what everyone think is perfection. But as myself, I'm quite different. I'm not sassy at all, I'm clumsy, stuttering, shy mess, who fails confessing to her crush every single time, steals his phone to delete an embarrassing voicemail and forgets to sign each thing she's making to him. That's the real me, just like as flirty confident Chat is the real you, opposed to a perfect model Adrien Agreste who you are in real life..." 

Ladybug caught her breath, realizing what she just let slip out. Silence fell between the two superheroes.

"Well, my lady, you are not wrong. How did you figure it out?"

"The kiss."

"The kiss?.."

"The one during Dark Cupid attack. It worked. The only one for whom my true love's kiss would work was Adrien Agreste. So.. that's it."

"Are you going to tell me who you are, Bugaboo?" Chat asked hopefully.

"Not yet. See, I have already fallen for both your sides, but you can't say the same for me. You might be pretty disappointed by my plain civilian self..." Ladybug sighed deeply.

"My lady, I could never..."

"Let's make the deal," she interrupted. "I will expose myself on one of two conditions: either you figure it out yourself, or when you fall for the real me. I'm the one to tell whether either of these is happening." Ladybug thought for a moment. "Deal?"

"You leave me no choice," smirked Chat. "But I'm perfectly okay with that." Two can play the game, my lady, he thought.

 

\----------

 

When Adrien got home, the first thing he did was to make a list of all the girls he knew. Ladybug seemed pretty close to know him rather well. She must be in his school: the history book she dropped once the day they fought Pharaoh; her knowing all his classmates' names; she also was very quick to arrive when the attack was in school or near it.

Then it was Ladybug's appearance. It couldn't change much. Dark blue hair in twin pigtails were her signature. Only Mireille, the girl who won weather forecast competition, causing Aurore to become Stormy Weather, and Marinette, his classmate and one of his best friends, got the same hairstyle as the famous superheroine. //A.N. Here I recall Mireille wearing her hair down, but for the fic I made her with two pigtails, copying Ladybug.//

Narrowing his choice down to two girls brought Adrien a great relief. But he needed only one girl to be left.

(Secretly, he hoped oh so much it was Marinette, but he needed to think rationally.)

Neither of the girls was akumatized. 

Neither, as he recalled, was seen at the same place as Ladybug.

Both had a crush on him. While Mireille's one was of a fangirl kind, Marinette's was deeper and more sincere since she knew the real him. (Stop it, think objectively, Adrien told himself.)

Ladybug said he didn't notice the real her. Which wasn't true for Marinette.

... That meant Mireille was the one left. Mireille was Ladybug.

Adrien couldn't help but feel a twinkle of sadness passing over him. Don't get him wrong, he loved his lady no matter who she was (well, except Chloé), but the boy was ready to bet Ladybug was Marinette. No, screw this. He actually wanted his Princess to be also his lady. 

Sighing heavily, Adrien went to his computer and pulled out a search window. With the help of the telephone online book he got Mireille's address in ten minutes.

The boy stood up, determined to pay his lady a visit. 

"Plagg, claws out!" he called for his resting kwami.

Chat Noir leapt out of the window, heading to Mireille's house.

The girl's window was open - it was the first thing Chat saw when he arrived. Mireille was facing it like in the need for some evening fresh air, so she saw the feline superhero the moment he appeared in sight.

"CHAT NOIR!" Her loud scream could have woken up the whole quarter. "Wow, it's so awesome to meet you out here! Why are you in the area? Is there an akuma? Where is Ladybug? Are you two a couple? Could you please give me your autograph?"

Chat furrowed his brows. The girl was bouncing with the excitement, clearly in 'fangirl mode'. Even if Ladybug wanted to pretend she was surprised to see him, she wouldn't come to these boundaries. Something was off.

Probably he was mistaken and she's not his lady? We'll see, Chat thought.

"Hey there, miss," he smiled. "Nothing to worry about, I'm just taking a walk. And no, me and Ladybug are not a couple, and yes, I can give you an autograph if you want."

Mireille squealed in delight and disappeared for a few seconds, returning back with a pen and a poster of Chat Noir and Ladybug, standing side by side.

Chat remembered this photo was taken during one of the interviews. The background was clearly photoshopped into a picture of Paris which could be seen from the Montmartre hill. Mireille was holding the not so small poster open near her, very conveniently for Chat to have an opportunity to compare Mireille with Ladybug.

They really were pretty much alike. However, Chat noticed the important difference he hasn't spotted before, and he wanted to slam himself for missing such an obvious thing.

Ladybug's eyes were bluebell shade of blue. Mireille's were hazelnut brown. 

God, how could he been so stupid? Chat briefly recalled Marinette's appearance and held his breath.

His princess's eyes were blue. 

Bluebell blue.

Marinette was Ladybug.

He quickly snapped out of his state, smiled at Mireille and, signing her poster, launched away to visit his princess and his lady, not bothering himself with an excuse.

Chat landed on Marinette's roof only two minutes after leaving Mireille. Her trapdoor was open. Marinette seemed to hear his arrival, as she looked out, searching for late night visitors on her roof. 

"Chat Noir," she smiled, climbing out to the roof. Once she was fully out, Chat rushed forward and hugged her tightly. 

"I love you," he whispered in her ear. "Both as Marinette and Ladybug. I'm so happy it's you." Chat unwrapped the hug and looked at his lady. "And don't you dare say I don't notice your civilian form. This statement put me on the false trails. You're amazing, mask or no mask, and you are my everything. I love you," he repeated.

Marinette smiled in response. "I love you too, kitty cat. Meet Tikki."

Her kwami flew out of the purse and waved at Chat Noir. 

"Hi, Adrien, I'm Tikki. Nice to meet you!"

Chat dropped his transformation, and Plagg rushed to hug Tikki, once forgetting about his precious cheese.

"He's Plagg," Adrien explained to Marinette. "He's not very polite though, so I don't expect any answer or introduction from him."

"How did you figure it out?" asked the girl.

"Once I was sure we know each other in civilian life, I made a list of girls I knew. Crossing them out mainly by appearance, I got only you and Mireille left. I remembered you said I hadn't noticed the real you, which certainly wasn't true for Marinette. So I decided it was Mireille. I even went to her as Chat Noir, but when she saw me, it was like dealing with a crazy fangirl. Not far away from the truth, I guess. That behavior, and the fact you have different eye colour - I noticed it only when she gave me a poster of us to sign up - that's what proved me I was wrong. To be completely honest, I hoped it was you from the start of my research." Adrien smiled a little. "Marinette, I can't put into words how much I love you now. I thought it was impossible to fall in love with someone even more, but..."

Marinette smiled in response and cupped his cheek. Adrien pressed his forehead against hers, leaning in and closing his eyes...

"Nice to meet you, Ladybug! I'm Plagg!" The little creature was floating near their faces.

"Plagg!" Tikki and Adrien exclaimed in unison.

Marinette giggled. "Nice to meet you, Plagg, I'm Marinette."

"Do you have any cheese, by chance?"

"I'll show you," replied Tikki and dragged him away. 

The teens turned to each other. Adrien took in her beauty, her smell, every single detail he could remember. He slowly leaned in again, and their lips finally met. They stood on the balcony, kissing with so much emotions between them, trying to put all their souls into actions.

When Adrien and Marinette broke apart, it was only because they needed to breathe somehow. And maybe the next few hours they would continue kissing instead of much needed sleep. Maybe the next morning their besties would squeal with delight after seeing them holding hands. Maybe Chloé would be furious spotting them during make out session near the lockers. Maybe it would be the event of the year to everyone in class, excluding only one - Chat Noir and Ladybug finally being together. 

There were so many 'maybes', but - who cared?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want someone thinking Mireille is Ladybug. She was never akumatized, never seen in the same place as Ladybug, and she kind of resembles our favorite heroine. So, ...
> 
> Bunch of apologies for not fulfilling your expectations, I got lost in my exams. I study in a difficult university and don't want to be kicked out. Please forgive me.

**Author's Note:**

> I won't update very fast, sorry for that. Any comments and suggestions for next events are appreciated;) thank you!


End file.
